The present invention pertains to a multifunction portable adjustable table and, in particular, to an easily adjustable table adaptable to many uses in the home and elsewhere and which can be readily folded for transport or storage.
It is often convenient or necessary to provide a table for use by a person who is confined to bed or someone who is seated or standing in a position or in a manner such that access to and use of a conventional table is inconvenient or impossible. For example, specially constructed tables for use by persons confined to bed are well known. Such tables typically include a base which can be slid under the bed, a vertical support extending up from one end of the base, and a table attached to the upper end of the vertical support and adapted to extend over the bed. The table is typically adjustable vertically and may also be pivotable with respect to the base and the vertical support about a vertical axis. So-called "TV tables" of various sizes, shapes, and constructions are also well known for convenient portable use by persons seated on furniture which is either too low or not readily disposed for access to a conventional table. Also, tables having a higher working surface than a conventional table for use while standing are also well known. These may include, for example, portable work tables and podiums.
However, tables used in each of the foregoing general classes, though possibly adjustable and portable to some extent, are usually confined to a particular type of use. In other words, tables useful for someone confined to a bed are usually not suitable for use as TV tables, nor are work tables or podiums intended for use primarily when standing. Obviously, the opposite is true for TV-type tables which are of generally limited utility.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,734 shows a portable adjustable table assembly capable of being used in each of the three broad classes of use described above. However, that table is constructed generally in the manner of that class of tables used for persons confined to bed. Thus, it includes a base supported on wheels, a vertical support attached to one end of the base and a table top attached to the upper end of the support and adjustable vertically and horizontally with respect to the support and the base. The assembly is also adapted to be folded so that each of the members is disposed in a common plane to facilitate storage.